Camcorder News

The colorful new JVC GZ-MG330 Everio camcorders

January 6, 2008 - JVC today announced five new Everio HDD camcorders for 2008, debuting at CES. The standard definition models include the entry-level GZ-MG330 ($449.99 MSRP), the GZ-MG355 ($499.99 MSRP), the GZ-MG360 ($549.99 MSRP), the GZ-MG365 ($599.99 MSRP), and the GZ-MG730 ($799.99 MSRP). New features include smaller body size than those of last year and a touch-sensitive scroll bar on the LCD panel.

JVC is holding to its strategy of manufacturing mid-priced HDD camcorders, while incrementally dropping the price year-over-year. The company was the first to bring the HDD media to the market for camcorders, but JVC faces serious competition from Sony which offering nearly as many models at a similar price, buoyed by a more powerful brand name and marketing machine.

This year JVC has implemented at least one feature that strikes a more than passing resemblance to their competitor’s near-defining characteristic: touch screen technology. All JVC Everios include a "Laser Touch Operation," a hybrid touch operation that appears to take the better elements of touch screen interface while avoiding the bad. Rather than touching the screen itself, the user runs their finger up and down a vertical strip that boarders the outer-edge of the LCD panel, next to the screen. The action scrolls through menu lists and options on the screen.

CamcorderInfo.com had the opportunity to test the new feature hands-on. The Laser Touch is smooth and relatively efficient. The JVC touch function, however, does not have the full power of Sony’s touch screen. JVC’s Laser Touch allows scrolling through menus, but it does not permit selection; you have to hit a separate button for that. In general though, the new JVC function avoids the worst aspects of rival touch screens that attract fingerprints on the screen. It seems to offer no obvious handling benefit over the previous joystick interface, but it will likely score points with the "cool new technology" watchers at CES.

Four of the five new Everios – the GZ-MG330, GZ-MG335, GZ-MG360, and GZ-MG365 – are very similar, equipped with the same imaging systems and differentiated only by incremental step-up features. The four models have a 1/6-inch CCD with a gross pixel count of 680,000. A 35x optical zoom and video light are included. All are capable of 640 x 480 stills. None of these models feature a flash for still photography.

JVC GZ-MG330

The entry-level GZ-MG330 stands out from the bunch as the sole JVC model to offer multiple color options: silver, red, and blue. The next model up, the GZ-MG335, is only available in silver and includes a docking station. Both of these camcorders are equipped with a 30GB hard drive. This capacity allows for up to 7 hours of video at the highest quality at 9Mbps or 14 hours at 4.5Mbps.

JVC GZ-MG335

The next grouping of Everios, the GZ-MG360 and GZ-MG365, are upgraded to 60GB hard drives. This capacity holds over 14 hours in the highest quality or 28 hours at 4.5Mbps. The GZ-MG365 has a docking station, and the GZ-MG360 does not.

JVC GZ-MG360

All the new Everio camcorders have a microSD slot for dedicated still capture. This is a departure from JVC’s traditional choice of SD card, a change to help reduce the overall body size. They also ship with a remote control and a software bundle, including the PC-based PowerProducer 3 NE, PowerDirector 5 NE, and PowerCinema NE. Mac owners are encouraged to use iMovie ’08.

JVC GZ-MG365

The top-tier model, the GZ-MG730, has a number of stand-out features. The imager is a much larger 1/2.5-inch CCD with a primary color filter and a gross pixel count of 7,380,000. The body is smaller than last year’s top model, the GZ-MG555, thanks to advances in its hard drive technology. The GZ-MG730 features a new, smaller 1.3-inch HDD (30GB), rather than the 1.8-inch HDD found in the other 2008 Everios. The camcorder will retain the mode dial from the GZ-MG555, with options for a number of Program AE modes and Shutter and Aperture Priority modes. Still photos up to 3072 x 1728 are possible in 16:9 aspect ratio, and 3072 x 2304 in 4:3. The GZ-MG730 also offers a 10x optical zoom, a histogram, a Natural and Vivid color settings, and a flash for stills.

The GZ-MG330 ($449.99), the GZ-MG335 ($499.99), and the GZ-MG365 ($599.99) will ship in January 2008. The GZ-MG360 ($549.99) and the GZ-MG730 ($799.99) are expected for release in February.